CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government has advised that GPS devices must be installed in all vehicles transporting minerals by September 30, 2026, to prevent illegal quarrying and transportation of minerals without permission.

According to a Daily Thanthi report, the directive was issued during a review meeting chaired by Natural Resources Minister TK Prabhu at the Directorate of Geology and Mining in Chennai.

What instructions were issued to district officials?

District Collectors were instructed to take prompt action on pending lease applications, identify new areas and bring them under electronic auction. They were also directed to operationalise new quarries and revive inactive quarries to achieve the set revenue target.

What was discussed with road contractors?

A consultation meeting was also held with contractors seeking permission to extract soil for national highways and other road works.

During the meeting, the government said the difficulties faced by contractors in obtaining lease permissions for such projects would be examined and appropriate steps would be taken to resolve them.